P&O Cruises 30-Day Pause – Customer Facing Q&A

What is the voluntary 30-day pause?

P&O Cruises Australia has implemented a voluntary 30-day pause to its cruise operations following advice from the country’s public officials that mass gatherings should be limited to no more than 500 people and Australians should reconsider their need to travel anywhere in the world.

The 30-day pause took affect from March 14 until P&O’s planned resumption of cruising on April 12.

Which cruises are cancelled?

The pause will affect cruises on Pacific Explorer, Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria that were scheduled to depart Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide respectively. Those cruises are:

Pacific Dawn: W015N, W016, W017, W018, W020

Pacific Explorer: X010, X011, X012, X013, X014N, X014P, X015

Pacific Aria: A018, A019, A020, A021, A022, A023, A024

When is the first cruise back?

P&O looks forward to resuming normal cruise operations from April 12 with a 10-night cruise on Pacific Aria from Auckland to the South Pacific (subject to the New Zealand Government’s clearance at that time). It will be followed two days later (14 April) with Pacific Explorer departing Sydney on a 10-night cruise to the South Pacific. On 18 April, Pacific Dawn will depart Brisbane on a three day Comedy Cruise.

In summary:

Pacific Aria: A025, departing Auckland on 12 April

Pacific Explorer: X016, departing Sydney on 14 April

Pacific Dawn: W021, departing Brisbane on 18 April

What compensation is being provided?

If your cruise was cancelled during the 30 day period, you will have the choice of:

1) Future Cruise Credit: We would still love for you to cruise with us in the future. We are offering a 200% Future Cruise Credit which is the equivalent of your current cruise fare plus an additional 100% credit. Your future cruise credit can be used towards any new future cruise booking with P&O Cruises booked and deposited by the 31 December 2021. Please note that future cruise credits are non-transferrable, cannot be used towards the deposit but can be put towards the balances. Taxes will need to be paid separately.

Should you wish to take advantage of the future cruise credit, please complete our online form on our website www.pocruises.com.au/cancel and we will process this on your behalf. This credit will automatically be set up in our system against your URN (Unique Reference Number).

Please note, the future cruise credit will not be applied instantaneously, and we ask for your patience and understanding in allowing up to 30 business days to process it. Once your future cruise credit is ready, you will receive an email from P&O advising of your FCC amount.

If you don’t make a booking by 31 December 2021, we will refund the cruise fare paid.

Refund Offer: If the future cruise credit option does not work for you, please contact our Customer Sales & Service on 1300 550 491 (AU) / 0800 543 177 (NZ) from 9am Monday, 16 March and we can process a refund for the cruise fare paid to P&O Cruises. Please allow approximately 8 weeks for the refund to be received.

If you incur any reasonable out of pocket expenses as a result of the cancellation of your cruise, such as flight change or cancellation fees, please email a copy of your receipt, along with your booking details to [email protected] to be considered for reimbursement.

How do I use my Future Cruise Credit?

The Future Cruise Credit will be attached to your Unique Reference Number (URN). You will just need to quote your URN when you wish to re-book your cruise and the Future Cruise Credit will be applied. Please note that Future Cruise Credits can only be redeemed against the fare of the new cruise and cannot be used towards deposit, taxes, fees and port expenses.

Can I use my Future Cruise Credit across multiple bookings?

You will be able to use your Future Cruise Credit across multiple bookings.

How will I know when my Future Cruise Credit is ready to use?

Once we have created your Future Cruise Credit in our system, we will send you an email to advise that this is ready to be used. Please note, the Future Cruise Credit will not be applied instantaneously, and we ask for your patience and understanding in allowing up to 30 business days to process it.

When do the Future Cruise Credits need to be used by?

You will have until 31 December 2021 to make a booking using your Future Cruise Credit. Note, you do not need to have cruised by this date, only made a booking.

Will I lose my Future Cruise Credit if I cancel my booking?

The Future Cruise Credit will remain attached to your Unique Reference Number (URN) until it expires. If you cancel a booking which has been made using a Future Cruise Credit, that amount will be re-attached to the URN and made available for use before 31 December 2021.

There are multiple people in my booking. Can one person obtain a Future Cruise Credit and another obtains a refund?

Although the credit is raised on an individual level, everyone on the booking will need to receive the same option, either a Future Cruise Credit or a full refund.

Will I be refunded for my pre-purchased items?

Yes. Any payments for items purchased pre-cruise separate to the cruise fare - such as shore excursions, drink packages - will be refunded back to the credit card used to make the purchase.

Can I receive my refund earlier than eight weeks?

Due to the volume of requests, we anticipate returns will be made after eight weeks and we thank you for your patience during this time.

Will I be reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses as a result of my cancellation?

On the cancelled bookings, I had promotional onboard spending money, will you honour those on new bookings?

Unfortunately we will not be able to honour any promotional add on’s from current bookings.

How do I contact you to discuss my options?

If you have made your booking through a travel agent, we suggest you firstly contact your booking agent. Alternatively you can call us on 1300 550 491 (AU) / 0800 543 177 (NZ) from 9am Monday, 16th March.

My cruise is due to depart after the 30-day pause. Are you certain that this cruise will go ahead?

The 30-day pause in P&O’s cruises is in place until the planned resumption of cruising on April 12.

Will my NZ cruise still go ahead in light of the government policy?

This situation is evolving on a daily basis and we will work with the government on the details in the coming weeks. However, if your cruise is cancelled, we will provide a refund or a 200% future cruise credit.